1. lolopenn

    lolopenn Member

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    I have a friend on the Sunshine Coast, here not in Australia, with an embankment covered with huge leafed Gunnera plants. Could you tell me which species it might be that would grow so well here? Also, while recently in Costa Rica cloud forests I saw a plant that looked very similar, but much smaller, all along the roadsides. Would this be a Gunnera too? I could not find mention of it in Wikipedia, except in Brazil, Colombia, and was curious.
    Thanks,
    lp
     
  2. chimera

    chimera Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    G. manicata, may be somewhat tender. G.insignis and G. talamancana. in Costa Rica
     
  3. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    While a bank covered with gunnera here is not impossible, I wonder if that is really what they are. The friend would have had to have bought or started a whole bunch of them and planted them all over the whole bank. Is that what happened, or are these actually a spontanous population, as seems to be implied by your description (including the friend not knowing which kind of gunnera they had planted)? Might they actually be cow parsnip or giant hogweed (both Heracleum species), for instance?
     
  4. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Aye, any chance of a photo?
     
  5. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    I left out fuki (Petasites japonicus), this spreader is more likely to be mistaken for gunnera due to the large broad leaf and could easily cover a damp bank in time.
     
  6. Gordo

    Gordo Active Member 10 Years

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  7. lolopenn

    lolopenn Member

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    Chimera,
    Thanks for your reply. I believe they made several of their own starts. It may be something other than Gunnera but they called it Gunnera and I did not consider any other option. Unfortunately the property has recently been sold so no pictures are likely. I just could not think of anything else that would have leaves that large. They are at leat 3-4 feet across & beautifully lush and healthy so the conditions must really agree with them.
     
  8. chimera

    chimera Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Maybe G. chilensis which is also available in the retail outlets . See the little G. magellanica around , which is stoloniferous. Generally planted around ponds, bogs and creeks, high humidity. Some growers place the large leaves over the crown for winter protection.
     

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